The Philistines were determined to destroy the Israelites. The prophet Samuel told the Israelites that if they returned to God He would deliver them from their fierce foe. In a nutshell, the Israelites followed Samuel’s guidance, the voice of God thundered, and the Philistines were defeated. (The full account of God’s might and mercy is found in 1 Samuel 7.)
After the victory, the Lord moved Samuel to commemorate this undeserved kindness He had shown Israel:
Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the LORD has helped us.” (1 Samuel 7:12, NASB)
Once again, Israel saw God rescue them in an extraordinary way. In the past, God sent plagues on Egypt to convince Pharoah to free the Israelites from slavery. God parted the Red Sea on their behalf. He fed them with manna on their journey to the Promised Land. God had been an extraordinarily good God to His people through the years.
Any right-thinking Israelite could wholeheartedly agree with Samuel that “Thus far the LORD has helped us.”
My wife is the unofficial historian for our family. She takes her small day planner and jots down all the upcoming appointments and travels. But in addition to that, she records the family news. She notes the dates of everything from weddings to deaths to surgeries. She chronicles everything that is newsworthy. To flip through her day planner brings to mind the good things that have happened, as well as the bad. As we reflect on the difficulties, we agree that through them all God has been our help.
Maybe you don’t have records of your family’s past. Perhaps you rely on photo albums or discussions at the family reunion to jog your memory about days gone by. Whatever the case, I’m guessing you too can look back and confidently say that when times got tough, God was there to help.
It’s encouraging to review the past and recall God’s constant help to us.
But what about the future? What difficulties loom on the horizon? Things happen. What if my child rebels? What if I lose my job? What if the doctor has bad news? We can become consumed with the “what ifs.”
It’s easy to worry about the future. If you’ve got a troubled heart about what might be ahead, I encourage you to pause and reflect on God’s goodness to you in the past. You might want to go to the Psalms and take to heart all that God promises you there. Ask Him to help you to set your worries aside and simply trust that He will always be there for you.
The God who helped the Israelites, the God who has helped you (and me) in the past, will help you no matter what tomorrow brings. Our soul waits for the
LORD; he is our help and shield (Psalm 33:20).
“O God, our Help in ages past,
our hope for years to come,
our Shelter from the stormy blast,
and our eternal Home.”
(“O God, Our Help in Ages Past” by Isaac Watts)
